Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] child labor

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Del Williams" <delannw AT dlogue.net>
  • To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] child labor
  • Date: Wed, 29 Jan 2003 17:38:07 -0600

Yes, if my daughter is going to work and earn wages, she has some
responsibilities to learn.

No, she doesn't pay rent. She is a minor and she is my parental
responsibility. I am the residential parent of a 17-year-old girl and don't
think I forget it for a moment. She has a curfew and I enforce it. I feed
her, I buy most of her clothing and I pay the mortgage, taxes and the
insurance on the vehicles she drives. They are my vehicles, afterall.

She wants to go to Europe next year. I think she'll appreciate that trip
more if she earns at least part of that $3000 ticket. So, yes. She must
earn part of the money herself. If she works for her dad, she'll earn some.
If she works for me, she'll earn some. She has already set aside over $1500
from her own efforts. I think we'll end up providing the rest. She can
keep right on working to earn the luxuries of life. She is fortunate as
hell.

Nothing wrong with teaching a young adult, that the things you want require
effort and not simply rich parents. By world standards we are filthy rich.
We own two homes, we have 3 vehicles and several thousand dollars in
investments. Our daughter doesn't need to worry about anything, does she?

She must learn to earn her way in life. Regardless of what her parents have
accomplished.

She recently got notice of a $32,000 scholarship from the college she most
wanted to attend. A feather in her cap. I'm proud of her ability and
fortitude to have worked hard and earned it. Not because her parents are
wealthy enough to afford it on their own. We are. She owes us nothing
except that we sure did provide the developmental environment for being
responsible for the outcomes in her life. But SHE did the work. She got
the grades, she showed her mastery of the subjects that made her eligible
for that scholarship. Neither of us ever put our jobs or our ability to
provide for the family ahead of our child's development.

I feel no sacrifice. I love that child and appreciate what she has
accomplished. That is her own award. I didn't do it for her.

I'm not ever going to take that away from her. Or keep the wages she might
have earned if she didn't get up at 4AM and help me cut herbs for a 6AM
delivery. She earned it. Frankly she could have done it at other
businesses. Not just mine.

Thus, I pay her for her efforts. And so does the business her dad works
for. It's all the same to me.

Del Williams
Farmer in the Del
Clifton IL






Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page